May went in a flash. Bank holidays and glorious weather have lulled us in to thinking it’s summertime. In fact, 20 June is the official start to summer in the northern hemisphere and lasts 96 days. Wonderful.
NON-FICTION
Summer’s Hum by Angela Harding. With perfect timing, the second book in Harding’s seasonal quartet is here. Moving seamlessly from spring, in her own words, ‘At midday the summer sun spreads the perfume of roses and honeysuckle to every corner of the garden.’ Harding’s beautiful prints illustrate her thoughts and observations throughout.
Parallel Lives: A Love Story from a Lost Continent by Iain Pears. Pears is known widely for his historical fiction. His first work of non-fiction for a decade is an extraordinary love story told in that wonderful flowing narrative which sweeps you along into a world that has vanished. More than just a love affair, it is an insight into the waning Cold War. Larissa (Russian ) and Francis (British) meet at the Vencie Biennale in 1962. Both were involved in their country’s art culture, she as a curator at the Hermitage and Francis as an art historian firstly at Cambridge and later at Oxford. Pears had been one of his students there. After Francis’ death, Pears kept in touch with Larissa who revealed their remarkable story. You are swept into the stories of their very different backgrounds. She was the daughter of a Soviet Army officer from a noble family. She and her mother were caught up in the siege of Leningrad (St Petersburg), to survive that was miracle enough. Francis, the grandson of an Iraqi Jew, was brought up in upper class England with all that entailed, but he always felt an outsider. Against all odds they fall in love and this is their story. I urge you to read it, there is not a dull page throughout. Utterly compelling.
The Proms Guide 2025. If you have not already picked up a copy, now’s the time. The Proms season starts on the 18 July. It’s not always possible to get there, but with the coverage on television and the radio, having the guide is not only worthwhile but far more entertaining than looking it up online.
FICTION
The Painter’s Daughters by Emily Howes. Howes’ stunning debut historical novel is a treat. Born not far from the birthplace of Thomas Gainsborough at Sudbury, Howes takes as his anchor Gainsborough’s picture ‘The Painter’s Daughters Chasing a Butterfly’ (1756). A picture of innocence and absence of care, a nod to the fleeting nature of childhood. But behind the façade, Gainsborough’s family suffered from depression and had a daughter who was what would now be considered as schizophrenic. Howes, with her psychotherapist background, provides insight into not only the artist and his family but also provides a vivid and realistic picture of Georgian life, along with a “what if” to leave you with.
CHILDREN’S
Sun Horse, Moon Horse by Rosemary Sutcliff. The wonderful Manderley Press have bought us another treat in republishing forgotten gems for adults and children alike. Sutcliff is one of those authors who should never go out of fashion. She died in 1992, loved by readers from nine to ninety. Her Roman novels starting with ‘The Eagle of the Ninth’ (1954) brought the Roman legions and their forays in Northern Britain alive to many. Here we are on our very own doorsteps. The White Horse at Uffington in Oxfordshire is known to many of us along with the mystical Dragon Hill, the most ancient of all the white horses, thought to be from the Iron Age. The ancient Ridgeway runs nearby, possibly one of the oldest trackways in Britain. Despite Sutcliff living in Sussex, she, like many, was fascinated by the myth and legends of this unique place, having a theory that the Iceni tribe may have been involved. Other chalk horses can appear stiff, the one at Uffington appears as alive as the clouds and seasons that pass and full of secrets. Perfect reading alone or aloud to all.